Before That Day
by BlackCavern
Summary: Robin wasn't born with the skills that aided Chrom. Even if he had no recollection of his past, he did indeed have a past.
1. Chapter 1

Robin stared into his plate silently, his food untouched.

"What's the matter? I thought strawberry cake was your favorite." his mother prompted gently.

Yes, that indeed was his favorite, something that was reserved only for special occasions. No one made strawberry cake like his mother. But today, the treat was decidedly less sweet, today it was a threshold.

"Go on, eat up." Mom smiled brightly, "It's not everyday that you turn sixteen."

Robin gave her a wry grin before picking up his fork and sticking it into the pastry. Maybe if he left the cake uneatened, he would remain fifteen forever. And if he remained fifteen forever, maybe he could stay in this sleepy little town forever. Robin didn't see himself as a particularly complacent person, but he had never claimed to enjoy traveling all that much. Though that had never stopped Mom from sending him off from one far away school to another.

It really was in his best interests, he was aware of that much at least.

In a tiny village such as this one, knowing how to wield a plow and tend to livestock were infinitely more important than literacy. But Mom had decided that his destiny was not as a ranch hand. He _would _learn to read and write, he _would _get as a good an education as she could afford, and he _would not _remain in a farming community for his entire life.

There was no school house in town, so when Robin was very young, she would home school him. It didn't matter that all the other boys were helping their parents out in the fields or learning how to ride horses, he needed to learn his letters as soon and as fast as possible. She had nearly fainted in joy when he had shown a proficency to magic at an early age and made sure to provide him with all the materials he would need to practice on his own. Though, she woud never let him within ten feet of an elder magic tome, goodness knows why seeing as he had a remarkable natural talent in that field. But, as she was his sole parental figure, he respected her wishes.

At age nine, she had sent him off to a boarding school in Ylisse. Granted, a school in Plegia would have been closer but she had tutted him for even considering the idea. Like any other young child, Robin had been terrified out of his wits at the prospect of living on his own but his protests were squashed. It was a chance for him to become more worldly, and he wouldn't be able to advance further in his studies without proper teachers. She had said that he showed too much potential to stop, that to break out of their small village, he need to be educated.

Yet, when he asked why an already educated woman such as herself was living in the small village that she was so eager to push him out of, she did not answer.

Robin had spent that year at boarding school plagued by a constant sense of maternal abandonment. But, when he saw her barely hidden tears when that horrible year had finally ended, his anger quickly broke apart. But his relief was short lived, afterwards it was to be a constant cycle of various schools and academies, pushing forth in his studies in magic and general education as fast and as well as his mind could bear.

Did Robin come out of it wiser and stronger? Certaintly, a blind man could see that. But with the gains also came a few nasty stowaways. Robin had never realized how short his fuse had grown, how quick he was to snap at people for not understanding a foreign concept. He hadn't noticed how chilly his countenance had become, how harshly he could lash out at people. How difficult it had become for him to consider anyone a friend. It had stung horribly when he finally saw how shaky his patience and emotional state had become.

Adults had said that it was normal, that this was a time in his life when he would feel cranky for no reason, bite people's heads off for no reason, and generally act like the moody teenager that he was. Nonsense, if there was one personal goal that Robin had in the flurry of studying, it had to be that he would never be put in a position where he could be patronized. It had taken some time to correct his more undesireable traits, but he had considered it a success. Those who were truly crazy did not know that they were crazy. So, if he could recognize his own failings, surely he wasn't that far gone.

But tomorrow would be different, tomorrow he would have to start packing. Only, this time it was for good, he wouldn't be coming back. Tomorrow would for goodbyes and double checking that he had everything he needed. Then, it was off to the Valmese capital.

For the better part of his life, Robin had been just as interested in the military as he was in magic. He had no aspiriations to be a knight, he didn't quite understand how someone could completely dedicate their life to someone else the way that knights did. What he wanted was to be a tactician. Military manuvers and the ability to guide soldiers to a goal had always fascinated him. So, at the urging of those around him, he had taken the entrance exams to the prestigious Valmese military academy. He hadn't really expected anything out of it, he didn't even have any wish to journey to Valm. It was a confusing place, what with the ruling capital and the continent having the same name. But he had passed with flying colors, and even Robin couldn't brush off such an opportunity. The day after tomorrow, he would journey to the academy, and he was never allowed to return.

Oh, he was allowed to visit home, but that was about it. His mother had made it crystal clear that she wouldn't let him come back here to live, or settle down in another similar village. No, he had to make use of that brain that she had nurtured all those years. He wasn't allowed to worry about her or if she would be lonely. No, he was to be completely and utterly self serving.

"Why Valm?" Robin suddenly asked, his fork still stuck in the cake, "I could have just as easily gotten into a school in Plegia, it would be much closer."

"I've told you this once and I'll say it again, there is nothing for you in Plegia. I won't have you caught up in that Grimleal business." Mom replied swiftly.

"What's so wrong with Plegia?" Robin persisted, if he was going to leave anyways, he might as well get a few answers, "Are all the priests there baby murderers or something?"

"No." Mom suddenly took on a meloncholy tone, "No, many of the priests are good people."

"And yet you treat the place like it's a snake pit."

"Just as there are good things, there are also some very horrible attributes of Plegia."

"As there is with Valm, maybe more so." Robin shot back, "What about Emperor Walhart's rule?"

"I have heard that he is a harsh and unforgiving man." Mom shook her head, "But at least he is sane, unlike King Gangrel. Besides, if you want to be a military tactician, Valm is the best place for your interests. They don't have as many mages as Plegia or Ylisse, but what magical studies they do have are world class."

Robin glanced up from his fork which he had finally transfered to his mouth. He had always admired his mother, as had many people, men and women alike. Despite being in her later years, she still held a rather regal posture. She spoke confidently and with a purpose, not like a farmer's wife but rather like a noblewoman. She was a woman who was use to making her own way in the world.

"Hey, since I'll be gone by tomorrow night, can I ask you some things?" Robin asked.

At an affirmative nod, he pushed his plate aside and straightened up, "Where exactly were you born?"

Such a silly question, something that any child would have known about their parent. But not Robin, Mom was notorious around town for not speaking of her past. She was different from the others, that was glaringly obvious. Robin had long since gotten use to overhearing gossip as to where his mother was raised to where her money came from. Now that he thought about it, he didn't know anymore about his own mother than any other of the townsfolk.

"I was born in Ylisse." she replied, much to Robin's surprise, "But my family moved before I was a year old."

"Where?"

"To Port Ferox."

"Port Ferox." Robin repeated, "How did you end up here?"

Mom took a deep breath, "My family moved around alot, Port Ferox was just the first place that I remember. My parents were merchants, we never remained in one place for too long because of that reason. I was always changing schools, changing friends, never having a place to call home and never having a purpose to call my own. When I was about eleven years old, my parents came into money and we were able to settle down as new nobility. I never really got a chance to focus on my studies until then, and I was shocked when I saw how little I really knew. I've been to so many places, met so many people, but I didn't truly understand anything at all. Some men, especially in the upper nobility, believe that a proper lady's duty is to sew or bear children and nothing else. But I wanted to stand on my own two feet, no one was going to deny me my opportunities because of ignorance. I promised myself that if I ever did have a child, I would make sure that he or she would get the best education possible."

Robin smiled a little, though he remained silent, prompting her to continue.

"As you know, I am quite stern. And...I'm not the easiest person to relate to." a small flash of guilt passed over her expression, "I guess gender lines were also rather blurred for me. I didn't see myself any differently from the men, but when they would try to put me in my place, I only grew more adamant. I took fencing lessons and beat everyone in my group, I graduated the top of my class, I refined my speech and posture. There was nothing that those noblemen could do that I couldn't, except maybe magic, I was never any good at that. That's why I was so proud of you."

She beamed and Robin's smile grew wider. It was rare for his mother to show such unbridled pride.

"But, my parents were more old fashioned than they would admit. After a while, they stopped supporting my actions and decided that it was time to marry me off. I didn't want to get married, I wasn't against it as a constitution in any way, it's just that I had never thought of it before. What would I do all day? But I didn't really have to put too much effort in shooing away suitors. I was not sweet and gentle, my elegance was not in a lady like way."

"If that's the case, how come I'm here?" Robin asked.

Mom smiled a little, "Turns out, sometimes there really is a place in the world for every kind of person. I found a purpose that I was dedicated to, though I didn't go about it the way that the others did. I wasn't interested in the extra baggage that was attatched, I just wanted to do something important."

"So, what did you do?"

"Well, I suppose I didn't actually work directly at the source of the issue. I did alot of research, mostly speculating on things such as the soul and memories. I enjoyed it, I liked speaking of my ideas on why people act and think the way they do. My parents weren't too pleased with my choice of career at first, but then something happened that would make them adore every decision I had made in the past. If only they knew."

"That's...very vague." Robin pointed out. "Don't ask me not to ask what you're talking about, you're pretty much inviting the question."

"Let's just say that I lost sight of what I was doing for a time. So I left, simple as that. Well, not immediately, I made another mistake before that. I went to my parents to ask for help. They were appalled that I was running away and urged me to go back. They probably would have stopped me by force, but I managed to slip out in the night." Robin searched but could not find a single ounce of doubt in his mother's eyes, "I have no regrets about what I did. It's better this way, life is a little bit harder living here, but it's much better."

Robin fell silent, he had intended to ask more but there was a kind of aura around his mother that left him in awe. "Thank you. You're...well...you're amazing!"

Mom froze for a moment, then burst out into laughter, "You're satisfied already? And here I was preparing for you to ask me about your father."

"I don't care about that." Robin replied, "I've never met him, he was never in my life, it makes no difference to me who he is."

"Good." Mom nodded, "And that's the way it should be."

She stood up and moved over to him, "Go on and finish your cake, this is suppose to be a happy occasion. Then it's off to bed, you'll want to get up early tomorrow if you want to bid everyone farewell."

"Right." Robin watched as his mother disappeared up the stairs.

Well, he certaintly had one hell of a legacy to live up to.

* * *

**AN: I've always imagined Robin's mother as a strong woman who lost her way for a while. **


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey, Rowan." Robin called.

The boy in question was leading a dark brown horse, his red hair was lit up like fire in the setting sun. Upon hearing his name, he stopped but did not turn.

"Oh, it's you." came his reply.

Robin paused for a moment before clearing some of the distance between them, "Yeah, it's me. Just wanted to say goodbye, you know, before I have to leave."

"Yeah? Off to some strange country full of people who you don't know and don't know you? Tch." Rowan scoffed. "Knowing you, you'll end up getting mugged before the week's over."

"Maybe." Robin shrugged though his voice dropped a little, "Might as well get it over with early then."

"And then what? What the hell's going to happen to you, Robin?" Rowan turned to look Robin in the eye, "What am I suppose to do if you get yourself into a mess? And if you do end up getting through that school, what if you end up joining the army or whatever only to get yourself killed?"

"Memento mori, Rowan." Robin smiled wryly, though his attempt at humor was quickly dashed by Rowan's dour expression.

"I don't know what that means, or rather, I wouldn't if you didn't use it as an excuse all the time. I don't know if you learned it from one of your fancy teachers but if you did, give him a good right hook from me." Rowan looked at the horse reins in his hand for a moment before tying it to a nearby fence. "Robin, I just...I've known you for all my life and sometimes...sometimes I just don't understand you at all."

"The future's not set in stone but I can at least promise that I won't ever go looking to get myself killed." Robin said, "Besides, I don't think I can do anything else at this point, my mother made sure of that. I have no skills that would benefit this place, it's best that I leave."

Rowan fell silent for a moment before looking up again, "Hey, do you remember when we were kids? Remember how we got on then?"

"If only I could forget." Robin sighed in bitter nostalgia.

"Yeah, I was the biggest jerkass on the block, wasn't I?" Rowan held up his hands in a defeated posture, "Not that you were much better for a while. Though, I suppose a couple of years of nothing but getting your face shoved in a book would give anyone a foul temper."

"What are you thinking about?" Robin asked as he walked over and leaned against the fence.

"Just how things have changed." Rowan climbed the wooden rungs and sat on the fence next to Robin, "I mean, I thought you were a real wuss back in the day. You couldn't plant a field, weren't too fond of horses, and you just stayed inside most days with your books."

"Yeah, and you were the best horseman in town, you still are." Robin joined in with the call back, "It seemed like you could do anything an adult could do. But we were kids back then, and considering where we live, I suppose it only made sense that you looked down on me."

"No, I was an idiot back then, maybe I'm still kind of an idiot now." Rowan replied, "Yeah I could run faster than all the other kids, ride better than anyone in town, but what the hell did I really know? I could read maybe four words and my mind was so closed, a pickaxe couldn't open me up. I suppose one of the better things to happen to me was when you threw a book at my face, literally."

"Sorry about that." Robin smiled sheepishly.

"I just said it was one of the better things that happened to me, why are you apologizing?" Rowan snapped, "Anyway, I still don't know how you did it, how you broke through my thick skull."

"I just had to scream at you a little." Robin reminded, "Remember what I said?"

"Sure do. 'Stop being a stuck up prick, how about you read a book for once in your life?!' Does that sound about right?" Rowan laughed, "Don't be a teacher, Robin. If you do, I'm going to have to pray for your future students."

"Hey, you learned to read and write didn't you? It's a little something called tough love."

"Tough? Try backbreaking love! I felt like the Fell Dragon himself was teaching me." Rowan exclaimed, "But I suppose that that's how it should be. We worked well together, you taught me how to read and I put in an angry word or two for those who were bothering you. What would you scholarly types call that?"

"A symbiotic relationship?" Robin offered.

"Eh?"

"Two halves of a whole, then. Say, Rowan, didn't you say something about wanting to leave yourself?"

"Heh, yeah I thought about it. But I don't think I can go through with it, too many memories in this place. Guess I'm not all that tough after all." Rowan nodded contently as he looked off into the distance, "Think sunsets look like that in Valm?"

"I don't know." Robin answered truthfully, "The atmosphere is dictated by those who are in it."

"Yeah, I guess it won't look the same here without you."

A long silence descended upon them as the sun sunk down below the horizon and the sky grew steadily darker.

"I...I suppose it's about time you got going." Rowan said hesitantly.

"Yeah...I guess so." Robin replied though he did not move.

They both sat still for a bit before Rowan suddenly ducked his head.

"Well, get moving! Your ma said that you're not welcome around these parts anymore, right? So move it! We don't need you learned types here anyway." he yelled, turning further away, "Hey, you notice how much dust is in the air today?"

Robin looked around, there hadn't been so much as a breeze all day, "Yeah, that dust really stings the eyes, doesn't it."

"Yeah. Now scram already, I can't sit around all day."

Robin stood up off the fence and began walking. Though, after a few paces, he turned around.

"I'll be sure to write, and I'll visit when I get the chance, my mother didn't forbid that." he called despite Rowan's back still being to him.

When he got no reply, he sighed and continued on his way. However, just as he was about to turn a corner, a shout came up from behind him.

"And I'll remember who made it so I could read those!"

Robin swiftly turned, but by now, Rowan was already out of sight.

"Yeah." he said to himself, "The dust really does sting."

The sky was pitch black by the time he reached the carriage stop. His mother stood with her arms folded, her posture perfect as always. But her brow was furrowed and her eyes were darting back and forth. Robin set his small bag of belongings into the luggage rack and was about to climb in himself when he looked back.

"I won't fail you. I think we've both invested too much into this for me to fail." he said, smiling.

"You've done well, I am so proud." she smiled back before walking up and embracing him quickly, "Keep in touch. This won't be goodbye forever, but from today on, you'll have a new life."

"Right."

He climbed into his seat and closed the door. As the carriage began to move, Robin couldn't help but lean forward a little to watch as his home town disappeared off to the distance. It wasn't like this would be the last time he would see this place, but some sort of finality had already settled itself into his chest.

This was it, from tomorrow on, it would be new everything.

New school.

New country.

New people.

New life.


	3. Chapter 3

Robin had slept through most of his journey, only waking up for about an hour at a time. A day must have passed by as he remembered varying degrees of sunlight, but it must've been nearing midnight by the he reached his destination. He didn't even see the school, all he could do was concentrate on walking in a straight line. He had slept most of the day but he still felt exhausted to the bone. He was in a kind of daze as he registered himself and was led to his dormitory. He didn't see much of the room either as he went straight to bed, falling asleep seconds before his head hit the pillow.

"Hey, rise on shine. No, seriously, wake up. You don't want to be late on your first day, I'm willing to bet that at least one professor is one of those super-strict-be-on-time-or-I'll-bite-your-head-off types."

Robin lifted his head up, narrowing his eyes at the sunlight. Standing next to his bed, leaning down over him, was a boy. He was dressed in sleepwear, no doubt Robin's roommate. Pushing aside the covers, Robin swung his legs over the side of the bed and looked around. Now that it was bright and he was somewhat awake, he was finally able to get a good look at where he would be staying. It wasn't a terribly large room, just big enough for two people to live in without treading over each other. Aside from the two beds, there was one large bookshelf, two desks and chairs, and little else. After getting his fill of the room, he looked back up at the boy who was still standing by his bed. The boy had rather long sandy blonde hair and a huge grin.

"Hey, you've probably figured this out by now, but I'm the guy you'll have to live with for a bit. I'm Leon.

"My name's Robin."

Suddenly feeling slightly awkward of the situation, Robin stood up to at least try to look more presentable; but even so, Leon was nearly half a head taller than him. He held out his hand and Leon shook it. There was something about Leon's palm, it was smooth and unscarred, not the hand of swordsman.

"Are you a mage?" Robin asked.

"Bingo." Leon flipped Robin's hand over, "And so are you by the looks of it."

Looking him up and down, Robin figured that Leon must be at least a few years older than him, he really was very tall. After excusing himself, Leon left to change in to his day clothes. Robin decided to do the same, as he dressed he could help but look over at Leon's travel pack, it was nearly as small and simple as Robin's. Perhaps Leon also came from a rural background, or he simply liked to travel lightly. But in reality, what was there to bring? The academy provided them with a place to live, food, and school materials. All anyone needed was a couple of changes of clothing.

"Here you go." Leon said as he re-entered the room, he tossed something that landed squarely in Robin's lap.

It was a large silver pin.

"Identification?"

"Exactly, the prefect said to wear it at all times. Basically just poke holes in all your clothes."

Robin turned the pin over in his hand, it was in the shape of a wyvern, Valm's national symbol. After pinning it to his lapel, he looked to Leon.

"That is some jacket." Robin said before he could stop himself.

And indeed it was. Leon was in a very peculiar trench coat, dark purple lined with gold and...eyes. Robin had never seen anything like it.

"The guys in charge said it was alright for me to wear it, considering what it is and all that." Leon replied, though he straightened the coat self consciously.

"And what is it exactly?"

"It's a religious order. I'm a priest." Leon rubbed the back of his head, "I know what you're going to say, I'm a bit young to be a priest. But I always say that if you know what you want to be, why wait? And I've got the rosary to prove it to those who still don't believe me."

A priest, huh? Robin recalled the Mark of Naga he had seen in a text book, but this was no Mark of Naga, so that meant...

"You're a Grimleal priest?" he asked.

"Does it bother you?"

Leon's tone had shifted so quickly from upbeat to anxious that Robin was tempted to check his neck for whiplash.

"No, not really." Robin answered, "I've just never seen one before. Never been to Plegia."

"Oh, good." Leon sighed.

"I hear that religion's not all that popular around Valm." Robin said sympathetically.

"I can deal with that easily." Leon shrugged, "Anyways, like you said, Valm's not big on either of the holy dragons. No one really bothers me about it as long as I keep it to myself. But-" he tilted his head to their door, "There's this guy who lives next door, his name's Io. We were in the same school last year, he's in the order of Naga. He's a good guy, but...kinda tense around me."

Robin nodded, "I'm sorry. It's understandable, but I'm sorry."

Once Leon's grin was back in place, Robin headed out. He was quickly directed to meet with an advisor, an advisor who was unfortunately on the other side of the building. As he walked, Robin couldn't help but marvel at the architecture. Despite having seen more than his friends back home, he was still in awe at the Valmese capital. The academy did not look to be only for mages as he passed a large training field filled with lance practitioners. Everywhere, there were tapestries with the royal sigil, a nod towards the Conqueror.

"Glory to the empire indeed." Robin mused to himself.

His moment of amusement didn't last long as it took no time flat for him to get lost. It took a great deal of wandering around in circles before he finally happened to the right door. Knocking on it, he was immediately called in. Inside, he found a man holding a scroll.

"Name?"

"Robin."

"Right, I'll be your professor."

Robin paused for a moment, he didn't know what he had been expecting, perhaps an old man with white whiskers that reached the floor. But this man was surprisingly...young. Though he did have a severe look about it, a no nonsense aura.

"What do you do?" his words were clipped.

Robin snapped to attention, "I practice magic...and tactics I suppose."

"You suppose?" the professor gestured to a pile of paper which Robin recognized as his recommendation letters throughout his years of schooling, "Well, your previous teachers support this endeavor. We don't get many students these days looking to be tacticians. Loads of people who can follow orders perfectly but few who can give them out. Now let's see...magic...magic." he flipped through the letters, "Anima magic, am I correct? You did not study light magic at all?"

"No." Robin answered, still standing tense enough that a feather could knock him over.

"What about elder magic?"

"Er...well, I didn't really pursue that very far."

"Really?" the professor raised an eyebrow, "That's curious, I found that many of your mentors from earlier years praised your abilities. A most unique talent, they say, able to use elder magic tomes with just raw force."

"Sorry." Robin felt the distinct urge to slap himself, but it was all he could think to say.

"Very well then." the man gathered up the papers and slid them into a folder, "If that is not a field you wish to study than that is that. I have enough information to structure your courses, you may go."

Once out of the room, Robin was more than eager to return back to his dorm. Perhaps it was a Valmese thing to speak in short simple phrases, straight to the point. Perhaps it was something that he ought to adopt.

The professor, whose name Robin would later learn to be Dulhan, turned out to not be as harsh as Robin had imagined. He worked his students to the bone, that was to be sure, but it was very much a sense that it was better to have his critique. After all, if he did not emphasize your mistakes, he did not feel you were worth the effort.

"I swear that this book is getting longer as I read it." Leon gave a wild gesture with his hand before tossing the book onto his desk.

Robin smirked to himself but set down his book as well, "I thought you would be the kind to rave about heroes gone by, not throw aside their stories."

"I was like that about three hours ago, now, I'm all spent." Leon leaned back in his chair, "Since we're talking about heroes, let me guess your hero. Mark?"

"Well, he was a legendary tactician to be sure." Robin replied, "Too bad no one knows where he came from, or did I just skip that chapter?"

Leon chuckled then the two turned back to their work. Robin quickly found himself reabsorbed into the text he was reading. This book was one of his favorites, it was a rather humorous rendition of the basic battlefield tactics. It illustrated the most impossible situations, including hypothetic battles where pegasi became stuck in lava and fighting in fields of dead fish. But after a while, his thoughts roamed back to Leon. He didn't have to go to Plegia to know that the Grimleal had a rather nasty reputation, his own mother was rather repulsed by them. But he had to wonder why, was it cultural prejudice or did those accusations have real origins?

Since they were talking about history anyways...

Robin turned around in his chair, for a moment he couldn't find Leon. After a moment of fear, Robin spotted him kneeling down with his hands clasped. Robin fully intended to turn back and mind his own business but something about the prayer intrigued him. The concentration that was etched in Leon's expression, it wasn't like how he looked when the two of them were studying for an examination or debating ideas. It was a concoction of focus and serenity, as if he were somehow putting his entire being into that one act.

"What did you pray for?" Robin asked quietly when Leon was finished.

"Oh, just the usual."

Leon's reply was so casual, so colloquial, Robin couldn't help but be amazed at the juxtaposition of the two acts.

"Hey, I have a question for you. What do you think of Fort...Forma...um..." Robin stammered, he quickly wracked his brain, "The Demon King." he finally said.

"Demon King? I'll answer when you can say its name properly." Leon said, crossing his arms mischievously.

"Form...um...Fomortiis. Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's Fomortiis." Robin said after a moment of contemplation.

"I'm glad you're sure because I didn't have a clue." Leon laughed at Robin's look of indignation, "Anyways, what's there to know? It was an evil demon who tried to destroy and oppress humans."

"But that's just it." Robin said, "Isn't evil a concept created by humans? How does something non-human or rather non-human like become evil?"

"Well, Fomortiis looked like a monster, but from the legends, its thought process is pretty damn human." Leon pointed out. "Why do you ask?"

"I met Io the other day."

"Oh."

There was a silence.

"He was nice, we talked for a while in the library. He was about to leave but he stayed with me for an hour to work on an assignment." Robin continued tentatively.

To his relief, Leon did not seem the slightest bit offended, "I did say that he was nice."

"It just got me thinking, about what you said about him being on edge around you. Don't you think that the priests of Naga equate Grima to something like the Demon King?"

"True...very true." Leon looked deep in thought for a while, "I don't know, whenever I think of what the Demon King's worshipers would've looked like, I always imagine a small wrinkled gargoyle of a man. Call me stereotypical I guess."

"Why are the two religions clashing anyways?" Robin asked, "Where did it all start?"

"I don't know." Leon answered bluntly, "I just don't know."

Another silence.

"Hey, Robin."

"Hm?"

"There's something I want you to know." Leon's voice grew serious, "The reason why I became a priest."

Robin blinked in surprise, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I kind of want to get this out. And maybe you'll find it interesting." Leon shrugged, trying and failing to look nonchalant, "Anyways, it goes something like this. My old man, my father, he's a...I suppose you would call it a cultist. Truth be told, there is a very dark part of Grimleal that's filled with forbidden magic and whatnot. I mean, when you get a bunch of people together under one idea, it's inevitable that some folks go bad. He wasn't always like that to be sure, he was once a normal clergyman. We lived in a pretty nice part of the city, granted, my family weren't nobles but we lived a pretty comfortable life. The priesthood is different in Plegia, it's not like how it is in Ylisse. Not to say that those practicing aren't doing it as there following, but it's a little bit more of a governmental thing than a Naga church. Anyways, my mother passed away when I was fifteen, not too long ago. My father, he...he went mad, or at least that's the only word I can find for it. He seemed to have lost all of his will to live, I'm surprised he didn't off himself sometimes. He tried drinking for about half a year, he wasn't even an angry drunk, it just made him seem more depressed. But then, one day he came home and he was completely overjoyed. To me, he kind of looked like someone who broke out of an insane asylum. He hadn't slept for days, his clothes were a mess, but his eyes were on fire. He said something about some people who were doing research on resurrection. I thought he was kidding so I ignored him. But I was wrong, so damn wrong. He became obsessed, completely and entirely engrossed. Eventually, I became convinced that it wasn't even about my mother anymore. I don't think he even wanted to bring her back all that much. I think he just needed a purpose, something to convince him that he wasn't powerless."

Robin opened his mouth, then closed it, he couldn't think of anything to say. Leon scrutinized him carefully for a few moments before breaking out in a bitter smirk, "Don't start feeling sorry for him, Robin. He was one hell of a bastard. He wouldn't speak to me for days at a time, and when he did say something to me, it was always about how I was distracting him from his work. He didn't come home much, but eventually, that became a good thing. Better off by myself than with that...man."

"What happened then?" Robin asked, eyes wide.

"Nothing. I just one day up and left, went to live with relatives. One of my uncles and his wife were barren yet wanted children, they kind of took me in. They're the ones who encouraged me to take leave on my duties at the chapel and come here." Leon replied.

Robin fell silent, he couldn't help but stare at Leon, at the jovial smile that was back on Leon's face.

"But back to why I became a priest. I wanted to show up my old man, selfish huh? I wanted to show that I could be a better man than him, a better priest, I could be devoted without turning into, well, him. I always had ideas of joining the priesthood when I was a little kid, but that just confirmed it." Leon looked up, reached over, and took Robin by the hand, "I want to become hierophant. I want to flush out those cultists who are smearing the names of decent clergymen."

When Robin spoke, his voice was suddenly filled with confidence, "Those who are recorded in history would not have gotten there if they did not have passion for their work. Your ambition will take you far, you have a grasp on limitations, you'll do well in life."

"Whoa, Robin!" Leon laughed, he gave Robin's hand a squeeze before letting go, "Where did that tone come from? Who's the older one here?" He quickly stopped laughing and looked Robin in the eye, "But, thanks. I wouldn't have told that to anyone else, too risky, I don't want to be mocked. So that makes you the only person to ever encourage me like that."

"A hierophant...a goal worthy of you, Leon."


	4. Chapter 4

"That _is_ a man, isn't it?" Leon whispered.

Robin looked to the aforementioned man, then to Leon, then back to the man, "Yeah, I think so."

Whenever an emperor's general graced one of Valm's many military academies with their presence, the students were expected to feel honored. But something about General Excellus made Robin feel something other than honored. Perhaps it was the way Excellus sneered down upon them, his look of displeasure increasing as he swept by the assembled students. Robin watched his every move carefully, so this was Walhart's head tactician. A girl who shared Robin's tactics class asked over her shoulder, "Do you think he's going to teach a class."

Robin shrugged, "I haven't heard, but from the way he's leering at us, I wouldn't get my hopes up."

"But if he serves as the Emperor's tactician, shouldn't that mean that he's a master? The best in the country?"

"Well, there are other things rather than skill that can get you up the ranks." Robin replied matter-of-factly.

A few other students caught wind of their conversation and joined in with their own comments.

"I heard that General Excellus' greatest skill isn't even tactics."

"Then why's he tactician?"

"Because he's a conman." Leon replied, not bothering to mask the dislike in his voice, "He'd probably steal from an orphan on the street if it meant getting into his superior's favor."

"Shush!" to both Leon and Robin's surprise, Io shook his head and gave Leon the zip-it gesture, "Don't let him hear you say that, if he really is as spiteful as they say, you don't know what he'll do to you."

Taking Io's advice, their group fell silent and spent the rest of the assembly staring straight ahead. Excellus seemed to be in an exception rush as he left without saying so much as a word to the students.

"What a snake!" Leon exclaimed once they were allowed to leave, "I hope you take his job one day, Robin."

"Not a fan?" Robin asked rhetorically.

"He has no business looking at us like we're maggots." Leon replied.

"Come off it, Leon. Don't ruin your vacation."

At the end of the school term, they were given a very short break, only about four days. There had never been a question as to where Robin was going to spend it. Upon finding out that he and Leon shared the same route for the better part of their respective trips, they had arranged to travel together.

"It was already a little ruined when I found that we have to take the long way." Leon grumbled, though he couldn't completely hide his excitement.

The roads in eastern Valm had been shut down from flooding, anyone who wanted out of the country would simply have to pass through Rosanne, from there Robin would travel to Ylisse and Leon would continue on to Plegia. The pair decided to begin their journey in the early evening to avoid the worst of the late summer heat. The season would soon give way to fall but the sun seemed determined to give one last burst of intense reminder before it waned. The large communal carriage they rode in were pulled by wyverns, much to Robin's amazement. There were seats lining three sides of the vehicle, four people were already aboard.

There was always an air of awkwardness when traveling with strangers and no one spoke much. Robin settled for absentmindedly flipping through the Thunder tome that he kept in his pocket. Beside him, was the sound of Leon's fingers as they tapped on the sword that was lying in his lap. Robin had questioned the need for bringing such a weapon, but Leon had quickly reminded him of Ylisse's bandit problem. As a tactician, Robin knew better than most that there were few occasions where one could be over prepared, even if both he and Leon were equipped with magic tomes.

Soon, the silence became stifling, and as the other passengers dozed off, Leon and Robin spoke quietly to each other. Even so, they too fell silent when it became too dark to see their own hands in front of their faces. Robin found himself still alert, his eyes examining the darkness despite seeing only inky black. At some point, he figured that Leon must've fallen asleep as he felt something fall against his shoulder. But he couldn't feel himself growing weary in the least bit. Every time he tried to close his eyes and sleep, the carriage would run over a particularly large bump in the road, jostling him awake.

With no other external stimuli, his mind began drifting. What was Rowan doing now? What was Mom doing? At some point, he even began to speculate what Leon's father was doing at the moment. Perhaps one day Leon would find himself wanting to patch things up with his father, perhaps not. At what point does a mistake cross over to true character? When is it no longer that a person is acting strange, but rather that they are acting out their true selves? Robin didn't know, perhaps he should be grateful that he would never be put in such a position.

Suddenly, Robin became aware of a kind of roaring outside the carriage. Mildly annoyed, Robin moved to open up the curtains. What the hell was that-

"**Get down!**"

A flash of green light shot out from Robin's left and suddenly a massive force blew through the front of the carriage. In a moment the carriage seemed to veritably explode. As Robin was thrown into the air, he managed to catch a glimpse a silhouette in the light of the initial flash. Instinctively he threw his arms out to break his fall, but the moment his body hit the ground he felt something sharp go into his side.

Almost before he knew what he was doing, Robin had propelled himself to his feet and thrown a lightning bolt in the direction of the silhouette. The Thunder magic tore through the air and lit up a stream of humanoid figures, they must have been standing in a brook. He didn't move until the last sparks died away before looking around frantically. Fortunately the sun was beginning to rise though everything still appeared as black shapes.

"Gods no!"

Robin felt faint with relief as he spotted Leon kneeling on the ground not too far away. However, when he got closer he saw that Leon's entire left sleeve was flayed off and his mark carried the distinctive injuries of elder magic.

"You alright?" Robin asked hoarsely.

"Yeah, I'll live." Leon's voice was equally shaky as he staggered to his feet, "Robin...what...just what...?"

"I don't know." Robin looked around frantically, "Do you suppose there's any more of them?"

"No, I think that you've burned them all to a crisp. We're okay for now. I got hit with a pretty big piece of he wall, I think that took the brunt of the force."

As Robin managed to regain some measure of calmness he remembered the lancing pain in his side. His hand managed to locate what felt like a piece of metal lodged in his ribs. It didn't seem to have gone in very deep so, fingers slipping on the bloody surface, he pulled it out with a tug. Tossing the piece of metal to the side, Robin began to look around for the other passengers. It only took a few moments for him to stumble over the body of the older man who had been sitting closest to the door. There was no doubt that he must've taken the initial blow, Robin didn't even want to think about what the state of the man's back must've been like.

"Gods...why did this happen?" Leon said breathlessly a few yards away, "I can't believe this."

Robin shook his head in equal disbelief. As he walked back he felt his foot step on something hard. Peering down he found himself staring at the distinctive green cover of a torn-to-pieces Elwind tome lying on an outstretched hand. Lying amongst the shrapnel was Io with a large splinter of wood protruding from his throat.

"So that flash came from him." Leon knelt down by the body, his face pale, "Damn it Io. What the hell happened?"

"That was powerful elder magic, the caster couldn't have been an ordinary bandit." Robin said hollowly.

"Then they might be regrouping. Robin, we have to leave."

"But we can't just leave them there. What about Io?"

"We can't anything for him." Leon said, his voice strained with regret, "It's not right to leave him here but..."

"We'll find a town, if there's a water source then there can't be one too far off." Robin said, grabbing at clarity, "We'll alert the guards there and then we can come back here."

"Right. Yeah, that sounds good."

Somewhat reassured by the simple act of having a plan, the two tore themselves away from the scene and began to head off, following the brook. Even with the rapidly brightening sky, Robin found himself unable to resist looking over his shoulder now and again. A rustle of cloth finally caught his attention. Leon was unfolding his Grimleal coat and pulling it over his tattered clothing.

"I was using it as a pillow." he explained.

"We'll find you a healer, and maybe some new clothes." Robin said.

"If we've only been driving for half a night then we're probably still in Rosanne. I don't know about you but I didn't bring much gold with me. We'll just have to watch our spending if we don't want to be stranded."

Robin grimaced, he hadn't thought about that, most of his mental power was still over in the carriage ruins by Io's body. He was barely aware of the pain in his side that had dulled to a throbbing ache.

Though, it was rather unfortunate that he could still fill the wound. It was the only thing that stopped him from imagining that this was all just some horrible dream.


	5. Chapter 5

"Here." Robin held out a bag to Leon, "I picked up a few supplies for the road ahead."

"Thanks." Leon took the bag and tucked it under his arm, while Robin was scouting for supplies, he had gotten some clothes that hadn't been singed by elder magic. "I don't know about you but I'm not entirely comfortable with walking, not after what happened."

Robin nodded somberly. He didn't want to believe that the mages were specifically targeting them, he really didn't. It didn't seem to make any sense either, what on earth could they want with a couple of students? Robin couldn't think of anything that he possessed that someone else would want.

"There aren't any caravans going out from this town." Robin said, "It makes sense, this place isn't a major market. But the next village is pretty large, we should be able to get some means of travel from there, it's not too far of a walk."

"Yeah, about that." Leon waved Robin over, "I did a bit of looking around and I think I might have a solution for our situation. But I'm warning you, it's not the most...tasteful solution so I wanted your opinion on the matter."

Leon tilted his head towards a group of people off to the side that Robin hadn't even noticed, but now that he caught sight of them, he swore that he could see the pommel of a sword sticking out from one of their cloaks.

"Mercenaries?" Robin guessed.

"Well, a guild group technically." Leon replied, "But yes, basically they're mercenaries. I had a talk with them, they're heading for the bazaar at the end of the trade route, it's about a day's travel. From there, it's only a few hours walk to your home town."

Robin grimaced, he didn't want to give in to paranoia but one could never tell with sellswords.

"Do you trust them?" he finally asked.

Leon shrugged, halfheartedly trying to smile his old way, "They seemed decent enough. We do have to give them a hand in their travels, but we're not asking for any money so I don't see why they would refuse. And I've made it pretty clear that we don't have anything valuable."

"So they don't gain anything from killing us." Robin said, "Alright, let's have a word with them."

Despite his words, Robin found his feet dragging as he moved towards the group of three. He didn't like this situation at all, after all, he had Leon had no real means of escape. They were practically stranded. But if they went with the mercenaries, sure their front would be covered, but the risk of being back stabbed was very real.  
Robin made no claim to be particularly tall, but he couldn't help but feel like he was being loomed over. Not that any of them could hold a candle to Leon who still was a few inches taller than the tallest of the three. The mercenaries were all wearing dark gray cloaks, those Robin could see the glint of armor underneath. Now that he got a look at their faces, he could see that two were men and the third was a woman.

"So you're the other mage fellow." said the brown haired man, "Your priest friend explained your situation, so are we going or not? We haven't got all day."

Robin swallowed hard before speaking, "I don't mean to be impolite but I would like to hear your motivations for letting us tag along. For safety's sake, of course."

The brown haired man tilted his head, looking rather annoyed but it was the woman who responded, "We've been catching glimpses of bandits or hirelings or whatever those mages are. We've lost a few members to those little shits, I don't know about you but I can't make heads or tails of it. They don't even steal anything, just kick the body down a ravine or burn them."

"They're probably from an official organization." Robin replied, "They act too strangely to just be plain bandits."

"Exactly." the woman nodded, "I don't know what they're up to and I don't care, I just don't want to be on the wrong end of their spells. That's where you guys come in. You need to get the bazaar safely and so do we. Plain and simple, got it?"

"Yes." Robin nodded, "We'll come along."

"Good." the woman held out a hand which Leon and Robin shook, "I'm the head of this group, there were more of us before this obviously but you'll be doing business with me. Call me Anne."

It wasn't long before Leon and Robin found themselves trailing behind Anne and the other two mercenaries. Against his will, Robin found himself beginning to relax. Perhaps it was because they were in the back, but Robin knew better than to drop his guard. As Anne said, their motivation was mutual gain, there was little reason to turn against each other, but even so...

"Hanging in there?" Leon asked suddenly, making Robin jump.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

Leon shrugged before heaving a sigh, he had pulled the hood of his coat over his head, casting himself as a black shadow against the green surroundings, "They're pretty courteous for mercenaries but let's not get too complacent. My aunt and uncle will probably kill me for making them worry but they'll just have to live with it."

Robin smiled a little, if his mother missed him, she probably wouldn't show it. Knowing her, she'd probably be shooing him out and back to school as soon as physically possible. Rowan would probably tease him about becoming a humorless city boy.

"Alright, let's take a break for the night." Anne called.

Robin sighed with relief, his legs were aching. The sun had dropped under the horizon long ago but Anne had made no indication to rest until now. He didn't care about the stereotypes of mages being physically weak, no human could get use to walking so far in one day.

It didn't take long for the five of them to be sitting down in a cleared camp site.

"No fire?" Leon asked.

"It's not safe." Anne replied reluctantly, "I don't want to risk getting spotted by the rouge mages. We've lost six men to them and I'm not risking anymore."

Leon nodded sympathetically but he continued, "But what about wild animals? We can't go in pitch dark all night, that's too dangerous in itself."

"I agree but there's nothing we can do."

"Wait." Robin interjected, "I think I might be able to help you with that. Leon, let me borrow your sword."

After being handed the sword, handle first, Robin flipped open his magic tome. Holding the blade a distanced away, he sent a bolt of electricity through his hand. Sparks crackled over the sword and brief flash of light shot through the air.

"Well, that'll do." Anne said, a hint of surprise in her voice, "You magic types...just weird..."

Despite securing a means for temporary light, no one made a move to sleep. Even when it became too dark for Robin to see his hand inches from his face, he tried to keep alert. But soon, coupled with the day's walk and the lack of mental stimulation, Robin found himself nodding off. It wouldn't make too much of a difference, the sun should be rising in a few hours. In fact, out of the corner of his eye, he could see the bright glow of the sun.

"Robin!"

A hand clapped against the back of Robin's head and shoved him into the ground. Lights exploded over his head, arcs of magic were lancing through the air.

"How could they have sneaked up on us?" Leon shouted over the noise, "There's no way we wouldn't have heard them."

Robin struggled to lift his head as Leon's arm was still holding him down. But Leon was right, the grass was fairly dry around the area, it would be impossible to not make any noise at all unless it was a flying unit. And even then, the wings of a Pegasus or wyvern would've made a racket. But there was one thing...

"Warp magic." Robin said breathlessly.

He managed to catch a glimpse of Leon in the light of a magic attack, his horrified look mirrored Robin's own.

"They can use warp magic?" Leon gasped, "No way, are you sure?!"

Warp magic was among the most complicated of all magic, few mages in history have been able to perform it. It consumed an inhuman amount of magic and skill that took a lifetime to master. It wasn't impossible but with the rarity of such a skill, it was farfetched to even think so.

"I don't know." Robin pushed himself up to his knees and threw a bolt of lightning over his shoulder, "I hope I'm wrong. If they were sent by warp magic-"

"Then we'd better run." Leon finished, he pushed himself to his feet, seized Robin by the shoulder and pushed him in the opposite direction of the magic strikes, "Alright, we have to go."

"What about Anne?"

Leon shook his head, gritting his teeth, "I'll pray for her, both Anne and Io. We can't do anything for them."

Without another word, the two took off. They didn't bother to retaliate with magic lest they give away their position. Pretty soon, Robin gave up on looking over his shoulder. Without fighting back, the only thing they could do was to put as much distance between them and their ambushes as possible. And without knowledge of their position, they could possibly buy some time. They had to get a certain distance away, it didn't matter where, they just had to run. Hopefully, before the sun rose, they would be far away enough.

"Alright, let's stop for a second." Leon stumbled to a halt, "Give me a second, I think my lungs are on fire."

Robin stopped as well, barely able to keep his balance. He would've agreed had he been able to speak through panting. He didn't want to stop yet but it was probably better to rest now and be able to run later than to completely burn themselves out.

"Okay, I think I can breathe now." Leon said after a minute, "You good to go?"

"Yeah, let's keep going." Robin straightened up.

Suddenly a flash of light exploded a foot away from them, magical glyphs were being carved into the ground.

"Leon, get back-"

A thing.

A thing, a thing with a humanoid form.

A thing that carried the smell of rotting flesh.

Its claw was protruding out of Leon's back.


End file.
